Session #227 A Program for Coaches and Parents in a Jesuit School Janet Dacey jdacey@mcquaid.org
Athletic formation program began in 2007: implemented in fall 2008
Athletics plays a significant role in the lives of most young men. This is particularly true at
McQuaid Jesuit, where 75% of our students participate in interscholastic athletics. A Jesuit school seeks to mold its students in several areas, creating alumni who are working to more fully become intellectually competent, open to growth, loving, religious, and committed to social justice (the graduate at graduation). These ideals are as equally important on the playing and practice fields as they are in the hallways and classrooms of the school. They are as important for coaches to model and instruct as they are for the faculty, staff and parents.
Almost half of the coaching staff at McQuaid Jesuit are not members of its faculty. To that end,
McQuaid Jesuit instituted a program to familiarize all coaches with the culture and policies of
McQuaid Jesuit athletics. We look forward to the experiential wisdom that faculty coaches will share with coaches who are not otherwise employed at McQuaid Jesuit.
In response to the request of our coaching staff, McQuaid Jesuit has included a program for the formation of parents of athletes. These formation sessions focus on topics including the multiple demands our students face, the balance of academics, academics and family life, sportsmanship, responsibilities and expectations.
These programs model the IPP, the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm, in their development and presentation. They are a response to the mandate to define the role of interscholastic athletics at McQuaid Jesuit and the school’s responsibility to provide education and support for coaches and parents in their endeavors.
A summary of our five years of programming follows:
YEAR 1: MISSION
 Coaches
Our coaches have a preseason meeting every year. The coaches’ formation has become part of that meeting. The first year was mission focused and included the following:

Overview of the McQuaid Jesuit Mission Statement and Athletics Mission Statement
(president) o Discuss the mission statements and how they relate to the type of experience we expect our coaches to provide for our student athletes

School culture o General welcome and comments (principal) o Slide show of a ‘day in the life of McQuaid’. Pictures and quotes from student athletes that demonstrate how a student athlete’s experience at McQ may differ from that of their counterparts at public/other high schools. (formation coordinator)

Coaches as teachers (in house coaches) o How the IPP works in athletics. Present the IPP, its significance to Jesuit education and how its components can be applied in coaching.
 Context, Experience, Reflection, Action, Evaluation

Service Learning (in house coach) o Introduce the concept of service learning and the requirement that each program/team participate in a service activity as a group. Provide examples of activities that are incr emental by age group and level of involvement…from

picking up the stands/fields after a home football game by the modified team, to working at BASH, to transporting patients to mass at MCH and ringing bells for the Red Kettle campaign

Spiritual Formation (faculty chaplain) o Discuss the relevance/importance of prayer and faith at McQuaid Jesuit.
Reminder that at least one mass is required for each program/team and that opportunities for prayer and/or reflection should be provided on a regular basis throughout the season.

Examples of the McQuaid Jesuit Experience (in house coach/alum) o Give an overview of what is done to provide a faith-filled experience for our students, incorporating the perspectives of teacher, coach, student athlete and alumnus. Insight into how practices are planned, summaries of interactions/activities with students off the field, team ‘traditions’ that encourage camaraderie and team/school spirit, how captains are used to further ideals of the McQ athletic experience, and any other ideas they could pass on to help other coaches provide a positive experience.

Athletic Code of Conduct (AD) o Provide each coach with a copy of the Handbook, highlighting pertinent ideas. o Present an overview of the parent component of this program, including a synopsis of the required parent meeting and a copy of the parent code of conduct. Outline the support that will be available to coaches relevant to athlete and parent interaction, including the availability of mentor coaches
 Parents
Our first year program was almost identical to that for coaches, except that we distributed a parent handbook in the final portion of the meeting and our AD focused on the ‘chain of command’ regarding communication. He outlined what to do if the parent of an athlete or the athl ete himself has a concern….over playing time, practice schedule, whatever. The idea that the student first speaks directly to the coach and advocate for himself was stressed. We also had our trainer give a brief overview of his role with the athletes. The meeting took a little over an hour.
Year 1: Parent meeting outline
 Welcome/prayer/purpose of meeting…(principal) o Discuss the mission Statements and how they relate to the type of experience we expect our student athletes/coaches/parents to share in athletics

School culture (faculty-parent) o Slide show of a ‘day in the life of McQuaid’. Pictures and quotes from student athletes that demonstrate how a student athlete’s experience at McQ may differ from that of their counterparts at public/other high schools.

Coaches as teachers. How the IPP works in athletics. o Present the IPP, its significance to Jesuit education and how its components can be applied in coaching. (in house coach)
Context, Experience, Reflection, Action, Evaluation

Service Learning and Spiritual Formation (chaplain) o Introduce the concept of service learning and the requirement that each program/team participate in a service activity as a group. Provide examples of activities that are incremental by age group and level of invo lvement…from picking up the stands/fields after a home football game by the modified team, to working at
BASH, to transporting patients to mass at MCH and ringing bells for the Red Kettle campaign

o Discuss the relevance/importance of prayer and faith at McQuaid Jesuit.
Reminder that at least one mass is required for each program/team, and that opportunities for prayer and/or reflection are provided on a regular basis throughout the season.

Examples of the McQuaid Jesuit Experience (in house-alum-coach) o This presentation will give an overview of the faith-filled experience of our students, incorporating the perspectives of teacher, coach, student athlete and alumnus. Insight into how practices are planned, summaries of interactions/activities with students o ff the field, team ‘traditions’ that encourage camaraderie and team/school spirit, how captains are used to further ideals of the McQ athletic experience, and any other ideas they could pass on to help other coaches provide a positive experience.

Athletic Code of Conduct / Q and A (AD) o Provide each parent with a copy of the Handbook, highlighting pertinent ideas. o Chain of command : the proper channels of communication when concerns arise
 Communication…………. please speak to your son and allow him to give you his perspective… protocol………what can a student athlete learn from the process.

Ending prayer (president)
 Details…tear off sheet* there is a sheet at the end of the athletic code of conduct on which parents fill out their sons’ names and year…they sign and return it…it is how we know which parents have been in attendance re: their sons are now eligible to participate

Individual team meetings
YEAR 2: SPORTSMANSHIP
 Coaches
The second year program focused on sportsmanship and the motivational tools used by coaches who were successful in post season play. It was a less formal program by design. We brought in local collegiate coaches and ‘legendary” veteran McQuaid coaches to give personal insights and initiate discussion among the coaches. Each speaker brought a different perspective to their particular meeting and the concerns of the coaches varied by season, resulting in a more personal focus. Coaches enjoyed the chance to have conversation and trade best practices with like minded colleagues. Coaches new to McQuaid were required to attend the first year parents’ meeting which was similar to the Year 1 coaches’ meeting.
 Parents
There were two meetings designed for our second year. Parents new to McQuaid Jesuit athletics were required to attend our ‘year 1’ meeting prior to their son’s participation in athletics.
We made the presentation at the beginning of each sports season.
The second presentation was a voluntary forum during which the sportsmanship topic was discussed. The forum was designed as follows:
The general topic for our conversation was sportsmanship. The evening began with a couple of tv clips, comments from our president, formation coordinator and remarks from a panel of present and former student-athletes, alumni, parents and coaches.
Panel members were asked to speak for 3-5 minutes about their athletic experience at
McQuaid Jesuit, especially as it related to sportsmanship. The Ignatian Coaching Committee offered the following questions to be used to frame their comments:
*What makes the sports program at McQuaid Jesuit different than that at other schools?

*What expectations do you have of McQuaid Jesuit's athletes, coaches, and/or fans when you go to a contest, and do they differ from your expectations of our opponents?
*How do you define sportsmanship and do you think McQuaid athletes, coaches and fans exemplify your definition of sportsmanship? Please provide examples if possible.
*How should we as parents, teachers, and coaches be participating in building better sportsmanship?
*How do we promote or facilitate motivation to beat the opponent or to be fueled by that competitive fire without being disrespectful?
Can we promote confidence or 'swagger' to an appropriate level?
*Specifically, how can we be better ‘sports men’? Within the context of an Ignatian education, how does our athletic experience intersect with our spiritual and emotional lives? In seeking the Magis in all that we do, how do we achieve ‘more’ in athletic competition and excellence?
At the conclusion of remarks, the audience was asked to submit any questions they might have for the panel. We broke for a few minutes for a snack while the Ignatian Athletics
Committee collected and reviewed written questions from the audience. During the second half of the meeting panel members responded to these questions. The resulting conversation was intended to help us to understand how our Ignatian focus affects athletics and sportsmanship at
McQuaid Jesuit.
Attendance at the program was voluntary and about 30 parents attended. Those who attended were pleased but wondered how to get more parents involved
YEAR 3: EXPECTATIONS
 Coaches
Our third year focus was on expectations. There are always concerns about the multiple expectations we place on our student athletes as well as conflicting expectations between coaching staffs, parents and student athletes. In addition, the ‘bull’s eye’ we wear as a private
Jesuit school primarily competing with public school teams has become a hot topic. After a talk on Jesuit expectations in general, one of our in-house coaches broke the group into four subsets and gave each of them a ‘scenario’ to discuss. They included situations such as poor officiating and inappropriate parent reaction in a variety of situations.
We viewed the power point shown to parents (see below). The power point was a summary of input I received by emailing the entire parent community, student athletes and coaches. I asked the following: Please list three expectations for the upcoming athletic season that you have:
Parents: for (1)your sons, (2)your son’s coaches, (3)yourselves
Student athletes: for (1) your parents, (2) your coaches (3) yourselves
Coaches: for (1) your athletes, (2) the parents of your athletes, (3) yourselves
We concluded with a general discussion of how to be clear on expectations of parents and athletes and how to react to the sometimes conflicting expectations that athletes, parents and coaches have for each other.
 Parents
For the third year we reinstituted required attendance for all parents of athletes. Parents new to McQuaid Jesuit athletics we re required to attend our ‘Year 1: MISSION’ meeting.
Parents who had already attended the ‘year 1’ meeting attended a presentation on expectations.

Year 3: Parent meeting outline

Welcome/purpose of the meeting (AD)

Welcome prayer
 Expectations….why this topic
(president)
(formation coordinator) o Relevance/relation to the McQuaid Jesuit mission
 Expectations…a coaches’ perspective (in house coach) o Positive environment for our kids o All work together toward same goal…mission (again)..we are a community or we are not o Life lessons
 Expectations…where are we at McQuaid Jesuit??? (formation coordinator) o Power point with comparisons of parent/coach/athlete expectations of each other

Interaction/discussion (2 coaches, 2 parents, 2 athletes) o 3 scenarios and the panel’s reaction
 An official is clearly missing some calls, and it appears none are going our way…the game is close and important for post season play…opposing fans notice and are jeering…we lose…what so you do???
 Why didn’t my son’s name get in the paper this morning…why aren’t we getting more attention…we are winning!!
 Parent is calling out another athlete during a game…instruction or criticism

Conclusion (principal) o To what end??? o Modeling

Details (formation coordinator) o Tear off sheet/team meetings
YEAR 4: “TO WHAT END”
 Coaches
The coaches’ meeting was an overview of the parent meeting (outline follows). The highlights we focused on were:
Reminder as to why we gather prior to every season
We are all educators of the sons that enter through the doors
You know you spend more time with the boys than their teachers, perhaps more than their parents….sphere of influence of your program and its staff is huge
Program is an attempt to get a cohesive message to the boys…that we (parents, teachers, coaches) are all saying the same things but different venues-an attempt to NOT allow them to compartmentalize
This year the focus for parent meetings is ‘To what End?” with the emphasis on character development
Character is what you are/what you do when no one is watching
Consider the challenge that Bruce Brown put before a group of high school and college level coaches….given emphasis on character in athletics
Athletics does not teach character…..COACHES teach character
Athletics is a great place to learn…we are trying to change the culture of sport and what is learned in athletics

You have the opportunity to teach athletes to think and act correctly….since 75% of McQ students participate in athletics, what better place to focus on keeping the messages from their daily school life consistent????
You have the opportunity to hold your athletes to the highest possible standard…a standard that goes beyond that which is measured by wins and losses…not that we don’t love the win column, but….
Ethical behavior is not inborn…it has to be taught…kids have potential to be ethical or not…example and teaching is what counts
QUESTION….If this is such a great opportunity to learn, what are our athletes learning????
Which side of the ethical argument are our athletes learning?
Authority: Learn to disrespect authority in sports (coaches and officials) like they cannot do anywhere else in life
Work habits: Good work habits or shortcuts? Re: drills, practice
Confidence: Through preparation or arrogance and entitlement?
Perseverance: One of the only things they can quit if it gets too hard….can’t quit english or math, or your family if things don’t go well…how to keep them in it…especially difficult for the less talented athletes…what do they see as reason to stay…to persevere?
Personal responsibility or excuses?
Cheating?
Athletics is a great place to learn to cheat: Worst thing might be a 15 yard penalty…may or may not be observed…does it matter if you don’t get caught by an official? Over and over I hear that cheating isn’t wrong if you don’t get caught…
In math or English, a zero does a lot of harm…a foul shot or a few yards probably not the same
Coaches participation: Think of an example where you can teach character in your sport…maybe just pointing some of this out will cause kids to rethink what it means to cheat, persevere, be accountable
Share?
This is all part of the character presentation we will make to parents
Obviousl y what they learn at home is a huge part of this….and we can only hope to reinforce the good things being taught at home….or make it known that our expectation is that the attitudes and practices from home mirror ours
 Parents
A power point outlined the year’s focus…perspective and character development as an ‘end game’ for athletics. The following is an outline for the slides in the presentation:
1) Welcome- pictures remind you of why we are here….if the driving and practice schedules left any doubt….know why you are here… Fourth year for the program..for coaches and parents
2) And this year: To what end? The role of athletics in the McQ community….perspective and character
We are all teachers of your sons…we consider it a privilege that you, the first and best teachers of your children, trust us to work with your sons in their teen years…not just in math, English and social studies, but in characteristics that will make them men we are proud of…’men for others’.
Working hard to be sure that we are teaching the same things…not to allow them to compartmentalize their learning…to include the culture of sport in this education and hold athletes to highest possible standard…make these standards higher than standard of # of victory
3) Ultimately….This is their time
The time frame for competitive athletics in your son’s life is relatively short…we want to enjoy it! To be part of good and lasting memories with your son….I love watching you play

Recognize that there is a fine line between support and encouragement and interference…want to successfully stay on the support and encouragement side
Challenge is to keep healthy perspective toward the values of athletics in the boys’ lives….realize that athletics are a means to an end
4) Why play the game? when asked in a national survey, parents and their children give very different responses
Parents rarely say ‘fun’ and kids rarely say ‘win’
5) Preseason questions…provide a preseason reality check
At the beginning of each season parents should ask themselves some questions:
Why is your son playing? Why do you want your son to play?
What do think their goals/expectations are for the season?
What will make a good season? What is their role on the team going to be?
Now: ask your son the same questions and listen to the answer without giving your own….if their answers are different than yours, there is only one option…drop yours and accept theirs
6) Athletic culture at McQuaid
Culture at McQuaid is different in lots of ways….just ask your sons how much homework they do and how many papers they write as compared to their public school friends….we are mission focused…and to expect that to be different in athletics doesn’t make sense….these bullets are taken from the McQ athletic mission statement and they drive HOW we approach athletics every time we go to practice, hire a coach, take the field
7) What our athletes need from us
We asked last year, what our athletes expect from parents, coaches and fans, and their responses mirror national feedback …they need the adults to model correct behavior … what you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say …kids mimic us, when we are watching and when we are not…and they need one instructional voice
8) We all know THOSE parents, the ones that are a little crazy….how can I be sure I am not heading toward that same crazy state? Some warning signs that you may be taking things a little too seriously and that the wheels are coming off:
Continue to take credit when things go well…’we did it’ (usually a dad thing)
Try to solve all problems before they become problems….must be a smooth and perfect experience…I will talk to coach for you b/c you are young, shy, nervous (usually a mom thing)
Continue to try to coach your son when he knows more about the game than you do…about the ninth grade, even if you did play in college…things change 
If son tries to avoid you after the game or is embarrassed in any way by your behavior…we all know the signs…watch for them
If you suffer/celebrate more than they do after a win or loss
9) McQuaid Jesuit is not unique in its recognition that athletics is important in education….Focus on athletics and what kids are learning from it is a national issue
College level programs, programs focused on CYO and youth sports, names like Michael Josephson,
Bruce Brown have taken their message to schools across the country, many of whom, like McQ, have implemented program of their own to reinforce ‘correct teaching’ of athletes
10) For us, the perspective is a bit unique…as a Jesuit school, we make the distinction between cocurricular and extra-curricular when it comes to athletics
Partners in education…become a common catch phrase
11) It is our Jesuit tradition that asks us to strive for the potential of excellence and to live the magis..more
Since Jesuit spirituality and the methods of Ignatian education permeate all we do…this puts an imprint on how we conduct ourselves and in the way we proceed…intentionality in all we do

It is the generosity and selflessness and understanding of the ultimate goal that allows us to ask the boys to work toward this goal in all that they do…it is not out of arrogance...but the idea that we are not better than, we simply strive to be the best that we can be…and that is enough
12) The first principle and foundation puts things in perspective…We are asked to find God in all things and we are are gifted by God… St. Ignatius of Loyola makes it clear that the misuse or misplacement of our gifts can skew our perspective and indeed our life’s purpose… another example of how the Jesuit tradition permeates our philosophy
13) Even pope John Paul, when speaking about youth and the lessons they learn in their education, realized that athletics is a great learning venue
14) One of the things we hope to teach through the athletic experience is good character…good character traits are things on the screen…I am sure you can think of many others..and the poor character traits that are their evil twins
Character is how we behave when no one is looking…….who we are on the inside…revealed by how we act when we think on one is looking or when we are sure we won’t get caught
If sport is part of a young person’s life, then the sport experience will influence his character development…hopefully in a positive way
15) Bruce Brown, who was the keynote speaker at the JSEA athletic directors meeting last year believes that ethical behavior is not something that we are born with…he says there is no character gene, and that being a participant in athletics does not guarantee that athletes will learn anything…things must be purposefully taught if they are to be conveyed…which still doesn’t mean the kids will learn, but at least the adults involved can go away knowing the ‘right things’ were on the message board
16) Sooooooo….there is certainly a lot to be learned in these hours our boys spend with coaches, at practice, in contests
17) Some of the more significant ethical lessons your sons can learn revolve around the following:
Authority: Learn to disrespect authority in sports (coaches and officials) like they cannot do anywhere else in life
Obey the rules of cheat the system?
Work habits: perseverance (one of the only things they can quit if it gets too hard….can’t quit english or math, or your family if things don’t go well…how to keep them in it…especially difficult for the less talented athletes…what do they see as reason to stay) or take shortcuts? Re: drills, practice
Confidence: Through preparation or arrogance of giftedness or sense of entitlement?
Personal responsibility or excuses: resp for missing a practice, play
Cheating? i)Athletics is a great place to learn to cheat ii) Worst thing might be a 15 yard penalty…may or may not be observed…does it matter if you don’t get caught by an official? Over and over I hear that cheating isn’t wrong if you don’t get caught…
*In math or English, a zero does a lot of harm…a foul shot or a few yards probably not the same
18) Athletics does not teach character….coaches teach character
Some coaches express the view that it is the parents’ province to teach ethics and values…coaches only job is to develop the physical and mental skills involved in athletics…they would not find McQ a good working environment
We understand that coaches are involved with kids…they have more influence on values and behavior of young people than parents and teachers at this point in their lives….issue is not whether coaches should be involved in character development, the issue is will they do so intentionally and intelligently
19) Read quotes…..the question for all of us is if sports reveals character and what we treasure most….what do our behaviors and expectations for the boys and for ourselves reveal???
20) It has been suggested that there are 4 roles in every athletic contest…..and that each of us can fulfill ONE of these…so I ask you to do what was expressed so well in our surveys last year…let the

coaches coach, let the refs, ref, let the players play….and be loud and proud as supporters of the teams
McQuaid Jesuit fields this fall
21) McQuaid Jesuit is committed to educating the whole person….our mission does not change based on the venue the boys are in…be it in the classroom, the theater, the field…it should be consistent
22) Most of the world’s most successful coaches think about character a lot, especially traits that are important to winning…like self-discipline, perseverance, resiliency, and courage. They pay less attention to virtues like honesty, integrity, responsibility, compassion, respect and fairness…which are the aspects of character that make a good person, citizen, spouse or parent…
Our coaches spent an evening last week talking about character development and I asked them to relay a couple of examples of how character is taught through the practices, service activities, contests, or simply the atmosphere of their locker room…they will share them with you
23) Sports are dessert if your child is making good choices and decisions in other areas of his life….and no amount of athletic success can make up for it if your son is not making good choices in other aspects of his life…the adults need to be the one who see the big picture….athletics is a wonderful way to get an education: thanks for being in this together
Parents sign and turn in tear off sheets at back of code of conduct.
YEAR 5: ROLE of the COACH
 Coaches
Purpose : preview of the parent program for parents of athletes this year
After focusing on McQ athletics in general, sportsmanship, expectations, character it became evident that we need to focus on you – the coaches?
The entire school community recognizes that the bulk of the work to be done in this regard falls to coaches, whose impact on the young people entrusted to their care is enormous
It is the responsibility of the Ignatian coach, the professional educator, to see to it that they are attained. The desirable qualities outlined in Ignatian educational documents do not happen for athletes through some kind of osmosis…it takes coaches who understand how to fuel their programs with them.
So this year we will focus on introducing all of you to the parents
How are we going to introduce you to the parents???
You are going to help with this….survey and your participation now…take 10 minutes to fill this out…a little more detail than the online survey that you may have seen
I used the details I obtained for part of the parent presentation. The remaind er of the coaches’ meeting summarized the parent presentation.
 Parents
Who does your son spend the most time with these days?
Welcome and prayer: president
Fifth year fo r this program…why keep going?
Hope we are succeeding in providing coaches and parents with a perspective for athletics that is uniquely Jesuit: One that allows our athletes to be supported and nurtured, instructed and coached in a way that helps them develop their God given talents in this venue

After focusing on McQ Jesuit athletics in general, sportsmanship, expectations, character it became evident that we need to focus on coaches —
to celebrate the people that we entrust our sons to every day
the adults who spend more time with our boys than we do
When we met with coaches a few weeks ago, one of the first things Fr. Coughlin said to them is
‘we trust you’….what a wonderful compliment…and an amazing burden at the same time!
Power point outlines the following:
The athletics experience at McQuaid Jesuit:
should teach student athletes first hand, based on active participation, as many as possible of the traits identified in philosophy of McQuaid athletics and the profile of the grad at grad: the traits are working towards as we prepare your sons for that in June when they walk across the stage at the
Eastman
Our philosophy of athletics must be intertwined with the characteristics of the grad at grad if we are going to be successful in our education of the whole person…your son
*to do so requires purposeful effort on the part of you and your sons’ coaches and it requires the acceptance of the role of athletics at McQ Jesuit on everyone’s part.
The entire school community recognizes that the bulk of the work to be done in this regard falls to coaches, whose impact on our young men is enormous
It is the responsibility of the Ignatian coach, the professional educator, to see to it that they are attained. The success in attaining the qualities outlined in Ignatian educational documents does not happen in athletes through some kind of osmosis…it takes dedicated effort of coaches who understand how to infuse their programs with these values.
To that end, we are purposeful in our selection of the men and women that coach at McQuaid
Jesuit…AD speaks about where we find these folks: Who are the coaches at McQuaid Jesuit? how we hire… what do we look for…who are they and how are their responsibilities outlined?)
In the Jesuit athletic experience, the focus reflects Ignatian priorities in addition to the obvious: the physical skills and the x’s and o’s of your sport
In this process of the coeducation of the boys, coaches and parents must keep in mind that their sports do not exist just to provide entertainment, keep students busy, publicize the school name or attract college scholarship offers.
The priorities of our athletic program should mirror those of Jesuit education in general, those of our
Jesuit mission
It is the coaches’ responsibility to help players apply their whole person…mind, heart, and will…toward such virtues.
Who are the men and women coaching your sons? How would we describe them? WHY do they coach at McQuaid Jesuit?
Why share this information?

So that you understand who is working with your son….who we have entrusted with this responsibility
When you pick up the phone or talk to the coach after a weekend of competition, you have an idea of who they are and why they are coaching at McQuaid Jesuit
An alum’s perspective (video of acceptance speech AHOF)
Tom Schott class of 1979-HOW the coaches and athletic experience at McQuaid Jesuit impacted his development and his life
We believe that we have coaches in place who will teach ‘the right things’ today, just as coaches in the past have done
Concluding comments and prayer: principal
Parents sign and turn in tear off sheets
The focus will be back on perspective…using video of alumni feedback on the impact of their athletic experiences, good and bad, on their lives beyond high school. How have athletic experiences impacted life style and life decisions, college and beyond, athletic and otherwise?
Conclusion: This process has been successful due to the hard work of many people dedicated to making athletics at McQuaid Jesuit a model for the community at large. Being aware of the impact we have on our young men, we hope their experience in athletics enhances their development into
‘men for others’. Community members have asked how we reach those parents whose sons are not involved in athletics with the general Ignatian formation component of this program. There is consideration being given to the expansion of this program to a more general parent formation program, perhaps differing by year. I am grateful to the Ignatian
Athletics Committee for their commitment of time and talent to this endeavor. I am certain that our student/athletes, coaches and parents have benefited as a result of their efforts.